In the final days of errands and goodbyes before the members of the Class of 2009 pack up their cars and drive to the airport, the future first-years -- full of excitement and nerves -- may wonder about the place where they will be spending the next four years. Thanks to the host of traditions that will immediately greet them upon arrival in Hanover, they won't have to wait long for the answers to their questions.
Before long, Dartmouth Outing Club trips, the bonfire and the "Alma Mater" on the bells every evening will become a part of the lives of the Class of 2009.
The DOC Trip is the first Dartmouth tradition most freshmen experience, and it is estimated that over 90 percent of the Class of 2009 will participate. Almost every upperclassman recognizes the terms "Salty Dog Rag," the "Leech Field" and "Loj Croo." Rain or shine, trips will create both lasting friendships and memories over which 2009s will reminisce long after graduation.
A three-day experience on the trail, organic farm or river without a shower, a change of clothes or a toilet turns strangers into "trippees." Trippee reunions often continue on throughout freshman year and beyond.
Another memorable part of trips is the final night, when freshmen gather at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge to eat, dance and compare war stories. In the spirit of a week totally geared toward the incoming class, the upperclassmen of the Lodge Crew serve freshmen dinner with flair and speak to freshmen about their own experiences at Dartmouth. A faculty member or administrator also welcomes the incoming class.
Because of their great success in integrating the incoming class into college, DOC Trips, which began in 1937, are now a Dartmouth trademark and have been imitated at other colleges.
After the madness of Trips and the Lodge, first-year students return to campus for orientation and the solemn rite of matriculation. Matriculation is an event at which students are called individually to shake hands with College President James Wright and, in doing so, formally enter Dartmouth.
By the time first-years have moved in, bought their books and found their classes, it is just about time for the hottest tradition of the fall: the Homecoming Bonfire.
Bedecked in green "Class of 2009" long-sleeve shirts and face paint, with shouts of "Touch the fire! Touch the fire!" ringing in their ears, members of the Class of 2009 will feel the heat of the bonfire.
The bonfire is lit on the eve of the Homecoming football game. The first bonfire took place in 1893, in celebration of Dartmouth's win over Amherst College.
For years after, students built bonfires after every victory, and employed anything portable and flammable, such as a fence, in the construction effort.
Traditionally, first-year students would begin to build the bonfire many days in advance, and were forced to keep guard over their structure in the night, as upperclassmen would attempt to sabotage it.
This tradition disintegrated into a riot on an October night in 1992 when 600 students rushed the structure, and Hanover Police were forced to enter the fray.
After then-Dean of the College Lee Pelton halted construction for a day, the bonfire proceeded without incident. Since 1992, however, the College has regulated the event more closely. Construction starts only several days in advance and is prohibited after dark. Safety and Security monitors the construction process, and participants wear hard hats.
In an effort to compensate for tighter restrictions, 1993 saw the college initiate the tradition of the "freshman sweep." Sweep organizers move from residence hall to residence hall collecting freshmen. Once all freshmen have joined the sweep, the class proceeds to the Green, where alumni and faculty give speeches before the lighting of the bonfire. Energized students then begin their laps around the giant structure. Beginning in 1904, first-years were encouraged to run laps according to their year of graduation -- this year, the last freshmen running will be completing 109 rounds.
The class of 1997, however, would not be regulated so easily. The class swept through town, stampeding cars and ripping down street signs. The sweep of 1997 will forever be memorialized by a photograph exhibited in The Dartmouth in which one first-year circles the fire waving a stop sign.
After that fateful year, the College limited the sweep to 30 minutes and began imposing strict regulations on the event.
Other traditions at Dartmouth have been amended with the times. After women were admitted to Dartmouth in 1972, the "Alma Mater" was changed to include "daughters of Dartmouth," and the Dartmouth Indian mascot was discarded in favor of the Big Green.
The term "freshman" has also been discarded from official Dartmouth publications and statements in favor of the milder term "first-years." Remnants of the identification of first-years as freshmen have lived on, however. The term "shmob" is commonly used by upperclassmen to describe groups of freshmen traveling around campus in packs, or mobs, throughout the fall. Shmobs are most often sited when first-years go out at night.
Other traditions surrounding first-years that might be considered hazing have been abandoned. "Freshman beanies," hats freshmen were required by their upperclassmen to wear, were discontinued after 1972.
With the beanies went the traditional freshman-sophomore tug-of-war on the night before Homecoming. If the freshmen won, they removed their beanies. If freshmen lost, which upperclass students usually ensured, first=years had to wear beanies until November 15.
In 1963, after losing a tug-of-war, the freshmen burned their beanies and stormed Thayer dining hall.
The College has also discouraged the former tradition that had freshmen storm the football field on Homecoming. Though one or two students still do it every year, a large police presence and potential fines of $500 discourage the majority of first-year fans.
The tradition of rushing the field has also evolved. Prior to 1986, the classes had filed onto the field civilly and formed the number of their year.
The Class of 1989 rushed the field, however, and injured two fans sitting in wheelchairs on the sidelines. Having fans on the field has been banned ever since.
Crowd participation around men's ice hockey has endured. After the first goal in the Dartmouth versus Princeton game every year, fans throw tennis balls on the ice. Officials give the Dartmouth players the benefit of the doubt, but if the bombardment lasts too long, the Dartmouth team is charged with a delay of game and must play with a man down.
Just as the "Alma Mater" has made room for female students, the tennis ball tradition has come to include the women's ice hockey team in its game against Princeton. Recent years have seen Dartmouth's rich traditions evolve to align with today's concerns and to include the more diverse student body that comprises the College, today.
